What does each club give for Height at the withers in the Lhasa Apso?

FCI, Male: 25 cm; UKC, Male: 25.4 cm; KC, Male: 25 cm; CKC, Male: 24.5–28 cm; AKC, Height at the withers: 25.4–27.9 cm.

Lhasa Apso breed standards compared

Each column is one club's published standard. An empty cell means the club says nothing on that point in our records.

Clubs compared: FCI, AKC, UKC, KC, CKC.

Size

Size
Measure	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
Height at the withers, male	25 cm	No ruling	25.4 cm	25 cm	24.5–28 cm28–29.3 cmAlternate
Height at the withers	No ruling	25.4–27.9 cm	No ruling	No ruling	over 29.3 cmDisqualifying
Muzzle length	4 cm	No ruling	3.8 cm	4 cm	3.8 cm

Conformation

Conformation
Form	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
BiteReverse scissors bite	Standard (“Upper incisors close just inside lower i.e. reverse scissor bite”)	No ruling	No ruling	Standard (“reverse scissor bite”)	Standard (“Bite: reverse scissors”)
BiteLevel bite	No ruling	Standard (“preferred bite is either level or slightly undershot”)	Standard (“meet in a level or slightly undershot bite”)	No ruling	Alternate (“Acceptable bite: level”)
BiteUndershot	No ruling	Alternate (“either level or slightly undershot”)	Alternate (“level or slightly undershot bite”)	No ruling	Fault (“Excessively undershot (more than 3.25 mm [0.125 in])”)
BiteOvershot	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Fault (“Undesirable bite: overshot”)
DentitionFull dentition	Standard (“Full dentition desirable”)	No ruling	Standard (“A full complement of strong, white teeth”)	Standard (“Full dentition desirable”)	Standard (“Full dentition”)
Ear carriageDrop (pendant)	Standard (“Pendant, heavily feathered”)	Standard (“Pendant ... carried close to the cheeks”)	Standard (“The pendant type ears are heavily feathered”)	Standard (“Pendant, heavily feathered”)	Standard (“Ears: Pendant”)
Eye shapeOval	Standard (“frontally placed, oval”)	No ruling	Standard (“They are oval in shape”)	Standard (“frontally placed, oval”)	Standard (“frontally placed in an oval-shaped black rim”)
Eye shapeAlmond	No ruling	Standard (“Dark brown, almond shaped”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Eye shapeRound	No ruling	Fault (“Round full eyes ... are undesirable”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
StopModerate	Standard (“Stop: Medium”)	Standard (“Stop - Moderate”)	Standard (“joins the muzzle at a moderate stop”)	Standard (“medium stop”)	No ruling
ToplineLevel	Standard (“Topline: Level”)	Standard (“level from withers to croup, whether standing or moving”)	Standard (“The topline is level”)	Standard (“Level topline”)	Standard (“Topline: Level”)
Tail carriageCurled over the back	No ruling	Standard (“carried well over the back in a curl lying to the side”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Tail carriageLow (hanging)	No ruling	Fault (“Low carriage of stern is a serious fault”)	No ruling	No ruling	Fault (“A low carriage of the tail is a serious fault”)
Tail setHigh	Standard (“TAIL: High set”)	Standard (“set sufficiently high to enable the tail to be carried well over the back”)	Standard (“tail is high set and carried over the back”)	Standard (“High-set, carried well over back”)	Standard (“TAIL Set high”)
FeetCat foot	Standard (“Round, cat-like with firm pads”)	Standard (“should be round and catlike, with good pads”)	Standard (“The round, cat-like feet have firm pads”)	Standard (“Round, cat-like with firm pads”)	No ruling
HocksWell let down	No ruling	Standard (“Hocks - Well let down”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling
Neck lengthMedium	No ruling	Standard (“Neck - Moderate in length”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling

Cropping, docking and other procedures

Cropping, docking and other procedures
Procedure	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	CKC
Dewclaw removal	No ruling	Alternate (“Dew claws - may be removed”)	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling

The law on these procedures differs by country. A listing here says nothing about whether one is legal where you live.

Lhasa Apso colors and patterns

What each club's breed standard says about every Lhasa Apso color and pattern. Point at a ruling to see the club's own wording.

Breed standards describe the Lhasa Apso in Black, White, Gray, Blue, Silver, Charcoal, Slate, Brown, Tan, Red, Gold, Cream, and Sandy. Standard patterns: Solid, Tricolor, Brindle, Parti-color, Sable, Grizzle, Tan point, and Reverse brindle.

Coat: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Black	Standard (“black”)	Standard (“Black”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“black”)	Standard (“black”)
White	Standard (“white”)	Standard (“White”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“white”)	Standard (“white”)
Gray	Standard (“smoke”)	Standard (“Gray”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“smoke”)	Standard (“smoke”)
Blue	Not recognized	Standard (“Blue”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“any colour permissible”)	Not recognized
Silver	Not recognized	Standard (“Silver”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“any colour permissible”)	Not recognized
Charcoal	Not recognized	Standard (“Charcoal”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“any colour permissible”)	Not recognized
Slate	Standard (“slate”)	Standard (“All colors equally acceptable”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“slate”)	Standard (“slate”)
Brown	Standard (“brownish”)	Standard (“Liver”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“brown”)	Standard (“brown”)
Tan	Not recognized	Standard (“Black & Tan”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Black & Tan”)	Not recognized
Red	Not recognized	Standard (“Red”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Red”)	Not recognized
Gold	Standard (“Golden, ... honey”)	Standard (“Golden”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Golden, ... honey”)	Standard (“Golden, ... honey”)
Cream	Not recognized	Standard (“Cream”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Cream”)	Not recognized
Sandy	Standard (“sandy”)	Standard (“All colors equally acceptable”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“sandy”)	Standard (“sandy”)
Patterns
Solid	Standard (“All equally acceptable”)	Standard (“All colors equally acceptable”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“all equally acceptable”)	Standard (“All equally acceptable”)
Tricolor	Not recognized	Standard (“All colors equally acceptable”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Tricolour”)	Not recognized
Brindle	Not recognized	Standard (“Brindle”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Brindle”)	Not recognized
Parti-color	Standard (“parti-colour”)	Standard (“Parti-Color”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“parti-colour”)	Standard (“parti-colour”)
Sable	Not recognized	Standard (“Sable”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“any colour permissible”)	Not recognized
Grizzle	Standard (“dark grizzle”)	Standard (“Grizzle”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“dark grizzle”)	Standard (“dark grizzle”)
Tan point	Not recognized	Standard (“Black & Tan”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Black & Tan”)	Not recognized
Reverse brindle	Not recognized	Standard (“Brindle”)	Standard (“All colors are acceptable”)	Standard (“Brindle”)	Not recognized
Merle	Not recognized	No ruling	No ruling	Not recognized (“merle, which is unacceptable”)	Not recognized
Double merle	Not recognized	No ruling	No ruling	No ruling	Not recognized

Eyes: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Dark brown	Standard (“Dark”)	Standard (“Dark brown”)	Standard (“Dark in color”)	Standard (“Dark”)	Standard (“Dark”)

Nose: rulings by club
Color or pattern	FCI	AKC	UKC	KC	KUSA
Black	Standard (“Black”)	Standard (“Black”)	Standard (“black”)	Standard (“Nose black”)	Standard (“Black”)

What the rulings mean

Standard: Described by the club's breed standard.
Not recognized: The club does not accept this color or pattern for the breed.

Color changes

How a Lhasa Apso's colors can change over its life.

Blackchanges toRust
Coat · With body condition · can change back
Blackchanges toGray
Coat · Progressive
Blackchanges toBrown
Coat · In the sun · can change back
Whitechanges toRoan
Coat · With age · from 2 weeks
Tan pointchanges toSaddle
Coat · With age · from 6 to 156 weeks
Blackchanges toSnow nose
Nose · With the season · can change back
Blackchanges toPink
Nose · With the season · can change back

Sources

Each ruling comes from the club's published breed standard or color list.

Published standards

Back to the Lhasa Apso guide Grooming styles for the Lhasa Apso